Striker223

Yeah because the Germans actually improve Gen to Gen instead of stagnating for over a decade so people want to buy newer.

In the case of the GTI the EA888 is a horrible engine reliability wise but very easy to work on and easy to make power on so it's a trade off. These older GTIs can easily outrun anything Japan has for very little $$$

bkowa092

They can outrun them for the 20 miles before they breakdown and need expensive repairs.

Striker223

Keep telling yourself that and driving cars that are lifeless and very behind the curve I guess.

My LSs gave me more problems and cost me way more than my A8s over the same amount of miles and can get my heart racing more in one day than the LS did in a year. I know what I would rather own....and more importantly drive.

I love the fact people lack the skill, knowledge, and exposure to German cars because it allows me to pay very little for an exceptional experience. What sane person wants a 180-210k mile 08-10 4Runner for $12-18k vs a Porsche 955 with half or less miles for half the cost?

Anyone who has ever sat in yet alone driven those two would never want a 4Runner. It's the easiest thing in the wood converting people over from Toyotas as most have never experienced anything else and once they do they realize how much they could have had instead.

GrizzlyMan

And talking about soul less reliable cars, what else than my dearly missed 4runner that sold within hrs of listing.
It is a tank of a vehicle, gave me a few problems with the emission sensors, and continuously leaked from the valve covers, until the correct gasket material was installed. The rear main seal started leaking a little bit, they all suffer from it. Had a weird clunk on sudden stop and go traffic, related to the transfer shaft unloading, Toyota said it was like that, since it's 5 miles up to 166k always had it, ran fine though.
The center console and most buttons broke, bad batch of plastic material. Sometimes the 4wd did not want to engage or would not. Very solid vehicle that never left me stranded, the V6 4.0L is such a gem of an engine.
Driving it was boring, nothing to brag about besides that the engine runs forever, point A to point B, that's it.



Let me "intervene" for a second. Although all are valid points, please let it not go to the sidelines and get closed by forum admins...

If I would do it all over again, I would not change a thing as to me was truly a learning experience. Luckily this vehicle (GTi, not the 4runner) was purchased as a side, backup car, not as a daily driver, and secondly, it happened during a time where I have plenty of disposable income. Yes, it does look like money down the drain, which I will humbly say it is fine with me.

I went and bought two more European cars after this, BOTH under warranty, so far have had no issues.
The EA888 1.8 and 2.0, is an incredibly reliable engine, it has received many accolades and it is the workhorse for Audi and VW. It has undergone various revisions, if not mistaken it is on the 4th or 5th.
The one on the MK6, 2010 to 2014 (give or take), was one of the worst due to certain "upgrades" from the previous engine block that resulted in almost it's demise, oil screens, bad balance shafts, weak chain tensioner and chain, incorrect oil rings, to name a few. The above were issues not encountered on the previous generation, nor are present on MK7 or 8, (finally after multiple revisions) corrected since 2015. Vehicles from similar years with the same destructive parts are Tiguan, Passat, Audi A3.

​​​​​​On newer models, MK7 main thing that needs attention is more frequent maintenance, oil changes every 5k with full synthetic, timing chain at around 120k miles, and carbon cleaning every 40k or so due to direct injection,l. Overall these are very good reliable engines, the vehicles can be finally considered as daily drivers. Will they ever have the reliability of a Honda Civic or a Corolla, no, I do not think so, but will they be super fun and a joy to drive, certainly.
THe MK6 I have I did all the revisions during the engine rebuild (that newer VW and Audi now have from factory) and much more. What I am saying new models do not have any of the issues, and most can be prevented if changing the oil every 5k miles.

I still own a 2012 Lexus is350 f-sport FBO RR tuned. Both are great cars in their own way.